I noticed today that it seems like I have to turn my steering wheel twice as far as I normally would to make the same turn... Is this even possible or is it me just getting paranoid? The wheel turns very very easily, without a lot of resistance (I would say less than usual perhaps), but whereas I normally might turn the wheel 90deg for a given turn, it now feels like I am turning it 180 for the same amount of turn radius.

Anyone know if a) the rate of steering is variable with relation to the steering wheel and/or b) if there might be a particular issue that I should look into as a result of this change in feel?

Thanks,
Brian

 

Worn tie-rod ends will cause excessive play in the steering.

Jack up the front wheel, grab each side of the wheel with your hands, and try to move it back and forth. There should be no movement at all. If you can move it, you need new tie-rod ends.

 

The funny thing is that there doesn't really seem to be a lot of "play" or a dead spot in it really, its just that it seems to take twice the revolutions to turn the same as before, and the turning is really easy....

That being said, I did jack it up and when i pull on the wheel side to side, the tie rod slowly moves in or out maybe about an inch or something? It doesn't seem like the play is at the joint on the end. Is this something worse than a tie-rod end? Or the same thing that you were referring to...

 

Speed plays a big factor in the amount of steering input required to perform a turn. Slowed down recently? Othe than a sever alignment issue thats all i can think of.

 

There should not be any play at all. You should not be able to move it.

What you have described is the same symptom I had for worn tie-rod ends. Replacing them fixed the problem. Its about a 1 1/2 to 2hr DIY the first time, for both sides. Get the newer heavy duty ones rather then OEM. Probably will need to have an alignment done when finished, unless you are real careful counting the threads when replacing, and everything was properly aligned before they went bad.

 

TREs gone bad, you will have a soft spot on center. On the highway you will notice that you may need to constantly correct as the car wanders a little bit. You will feel a dead spot on center, but as you get into a turn, its not as noticable. You said that you don't feel this, and that you just need to turn it more. Does the car still turn as much as it used to when you turn the wheel all the way to the lock?

Your wheel shouldn't move at all and usually the problem is the TRE, but if you don't feel a dead spot in the steering, my guess is that you have a serious problem with your rack. This is your rack and pinion steering and this connects to the tie rod ends at either wheel. I don't really know enough to tell you what in the rack would be bad, but if its not inner or outer TREs, then its probably a rack problem. Its tough to get at the rack and it is an expensive replacement. I would take the car to a good shop to let them take a look at it.

BTW, if it does end up being TREs, I have a full set of the upgraded heavy duty ones you would need. See sig.

 

Agree with above. Sounds like the steering rack